February 1, 2007

US 'victory' against cult leader was 'massacre' - "There are growing suspicions in Iraq that the official story of the battle outside Najaf between a messianic Iraqi cult and the Iraqi security forces supported by the US, in which 263 people were killed and 210 wounded, is a fabrication. The heavy casualties may be evidence of an unpremeditated massacre."

US Army Investigating New Torture Allegations - "The man also recounts the gang rape of a female teenage detainee, in which one guard "pimped" the girl to others for $50 each. As he recalls, "I think at the end of the day he'd made like 500 bucks before she hung herself.""

Gay + Iraqi = Dead - "For the very first time, an official United Nations human rights report released last week has confirmed the “violent campaigns” against Iraqi gays and the “assassinations of homosexuals in Iraq.”"

Chirac Strays From Assailing a Nuclear Iran - "President Jacques Chirac said this week that if Iran had one or two nuclear weapons, it would not pose a big danger, and that if Iran were to launch a nuclear weapon against a country like Israel, it would lead to the immediate destruction of Tehran."

Europeans fear US attack on Iran as nuclear row intensifies - "As transatlantic friction over how to deal with the Iranian impasse intensifies, there are fears in European capitals that the nuclear crisis could come to a head this year because of US frustration with Russian stalling tactics at the UN security council. "The clock is ticking," said one European official. "Military action has come back on to the table more seriously than before. The language in the US has changed.""

Iran daily says 9/11 a 'White House conspiracy' - "A hardline Iranian newspaper on Monday described the September 11 attacks as a "black conspiracy inside the White House", publishing what it said was evidence the strikes could have been staged by US officials."

Cheney's Handwritten Notes Implicate Bush in Plame Affair - "But Cheney's notes, which were introduced into evidence Tuesday during Libby's perjury and obstruction-of-justice trial, call into question the truthfulness of President Bush's vehement denials about his prior knowledge of the attacks against Wilson. The revelation that Bush may have known all along that there was an effort by members of his office to discredit the former ambassador begs the question: Was the president also aware that senior members of his administration compromised Valerie Plame's undercover role with the CIA?"

Pfizer, Halliburton Grab Democrats as Hearings Loom - "Pharmaceutical companies and Iraq war contractors, both heavy Republican contributors, are among the companies scrambling to hire lobbyists with Democratic ties as they prepare for congressional investigative hearings next week."

Exxon Mobil Reports $39.5B Annual Profit - "Oil giant Exxon Mobil Corp. on Thursday posted the largest annual profit by a U.S. company - $39.5 billion - even as earnings for the last quarter of 2006 declined 4 percent. The 2006 profit topped the previous record of $36.13 billion which Exxon set in 2005."

Mexican Economy Seen As Heart of Immigration Problem - "Amid a growing national debate over how to deal with illegal aliens, one expert suggested Monday that the way to solve the immigration problem in the United States is to boost the Mexican economy."

'Wave of hatred' warning as attacks on Jews hits record high - "Attacks on Britain's Jews have risen to the highest level since records began. A study published today shows the number of reported anti-Semitic incidents has almost tripled in 10 years, with more than half the attacks last year taking place in London."

Bush assails 'income inequality' - "President Bush yesterday said there is a growing "income inequality" gap between rich and poor Americans, and told companies they should rethink the giant compensation packages they offer top executives."

Bush shoots for ‘Jaws,’ delivers ‘Jaws 2’ - "President claimed to stop four terror plots, but where is the evidence?"

The Texas Observer: In Loving Memory of Molly Ivins, 1944-2007 - "Molly’s enduring message is, “Raise more hell.”"

We Can All Be Molly - "Ivins was characterized as a liberal, but a careful reading of her work shows she had no affiliation with any political philosophy. Her wry critiques were reserved for greedy fools who landed on all points of the political landscape."

WTO raps US over online gambling law - "The World Trade Organisation (WTO) has ruled against the US in an online gambling dispute with the Caribbean island of Antigua and Barbuda. The US is breaking international trade rules, it is expected to say."

After 200 years, fight to end slavery goes on - "An ancient practice still strong in the country's north and east allows mystic priests to demand virgin brides as servants as atonement from families deemed to have offended ancestral gods. Wrenched from their parents, the girls are kept captive in the priest's shrine and, even as children, are forced to work in his fields and clean his compound. When they reach puberty, they become his trokosi, or wife. Most are raped or sexually abused, many are beaten, campaigners have discovered." -- It's a beautiful world...?

From Local Police to Occupying Army, or LESO: The Greater of Many Evils - "There are Peacekeepers deployed in US cities, but they're not under UN command. They're armored personnel carriers supplied to “local” police agencies for little or no cost through the Pentagon's Law Enforcement Support Office (LESO), established in 1995 as part of the Defense Logistics Agency. ... What this means, in practical and tangible terms, is that your local police has the same access to military hardware as any branch of the armed services. In everything but brand name, they're domestic appendages of the Pentagon."

Use a mobile... and lose your vehicle - "Controversial powers for police to confiscate vehicles if their driver is using a mobile or not wearing a seatbelt are to be used across London."

Survey: U.S. workplace not family-oriented - "The United States lags far behind virtually all wealthy countries with regard to family-oriented workplace policies such as maternity leave, paid sick days and support for breast-feeding, a new study by Harvard and McGill University researchers says."

2006 personal savings drop to 74-yr. low - "People once again spent everything they made and then some last year, pushing the personal savings rate to the lowest level since the Great Depression more than seven decades ago."

Climate change warning for Sydney - "It warns that if residents do not cut water consumption by more than 50% over the next 20 years, the city will become unsustainable. The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation report also warns that temperatures could rise 5C above the predicted global average. This would leave the city facing an almost permanent state of drought."

Del. global warming skeptic stands pat - "Delaware's state climatologist has found himself in the middle of a political squall after taking skeptical stands on global warming and climate change -- in one case directly contradicting the state's own policy."

Texas could punish 'truant' parents - "Parents beware: Miss a meeting with your child's teacher and it could cost you a $500 fine and a criminal record. A Republican state lawmaker from Baytown has filed a bill that would charge parents of public school students with a misdemeanor and fine them for playing hooky from a scheduled parent-teacher conference."

Russian shock at 'gagged' babies - "Russian prosecutors are investigating allegations that hospital staff in Yekaterinburg gagged babies because they did not want to hear them crying."

Windows Vista Hacked Within Hours Of Launch - "Microsoft’s long-awaited Windows Vista was finally released yesterday – and already a hacker has claimed to have broken the operating software’s encryption."




Quote of the Day
"Good thing we’ve still got politics—finest form of free entertainment ever invented."
~ Molly Ivins